He Is Real

 He Is Real

 He rewards those who diligently seek Him.

 

 

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

¹⁰ For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

¹¹ If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

¹² Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

¹³ If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?—Luke 11: 9-13

When we get saved the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us.

God does not send some other Spirit or trick us. If we ask Him to save us He does. If we turn to Him in faith hearing his call, He comes running to embrace us and save us. He washes us clean of ALL sin, and starts a relationship with us.

He gives us a hope and a purpose. He shows us what we can do for the kingdom. He helps us to change and grow out of things that are hurting us. He corrects us and places our feet on the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

Simply because we hear his call, turn to Him and ask.

He answers our prayers and teaches us. He leads us into ALL truth.

When you know Him and have a relationship with Him, He walks with you, and your prayers are prayed based upon what He tells you to pray. When you do this you see Him moving in your life, and the answer is never “No”, because He does not tell Himself No.

We pray what God wants, because we have given ourselves to Him and He is with us. When we do this we see Him move.

These verses above are promises from the Lord. We can trust them. We can speak these promises out loud to ourselves to remind us of His faithfulness.

When the demons cause us to doubt or wonder or fear, we can say “No. God’s Word says “Ask and it shall be given unto you. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened. Its a fact. In Jesus name.”

Speaking God’s Word out loud is engaging in Spiritual Warfare. it is using the Sword of the Spirit and The Shield of Faith. (Eph 6;13-18)

“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” —Rom. 10:17

Speaking the Word out loud so we and others can hear it, drives the enemy away and helps build up our faith.

It is taking every thought captive. (2 Cor. 10:5)

It is renewing our mind so we have the mind of Christ. (Rom. 12:2)

Let’s say we have applied for jobs without an answer and the bills are coming due. Fear rises up in our hearts and we are getting desperate.

We can speak the Word.

“I have prayed. I have asked for a job. I have knocked on doors. I sought, and in Jesus name the doors are opening. It will be given. I will find. Ask and it shall be given unto me. God’s Word says and it is coming. In Jesus name.”

The Lord knows what you need before you even ask Him. (Matt. 6:8)

Trust Him.

 Jesus said, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.“— John 14:13-14

That’s a promise! Ask in His name! Ask according to His will! You have the Holy Spirit, if you are saved. Ask Him what you should pray for in this situation.

He will show you.

Is someone sick? Ask the Lord what to pray for. Pray for healing. Pray for comfort. Pray for peace. Pray for the Lord’s will to be done, and to grant you grace to accept and grow in it.

Prayer is not really a yes, maybe , or no proposition. It is a relationship with your father. It is a conversation of life. Pray to Him unceasingly, and unapologetically. He knows you. He knows your heart. He understands your groaning and your tears.

Trust Him.

It might take time.

It might seem like He isn’t moving, but He is.

Keep speaking the Word. Keep driving away the doubts and fears.

He will teach you. He will comfort you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. (Heb. 13:5)

Trust Him. Speak the Word in faith and believe it. Use the Sword and Shield against the enemy who tries to beat you down.

The Lord hears and He is with you.

--- 

Photo by pexels.

---

Why Do We Study Prophecy?

 Why Do We Study Prophecy?

 So, we know the seasons.

 

The Bible is 30% prophecy, as some have stated. But, when you consider that the whole thing is about Jesus Christ, and that all the stories and pictures speak of Him, His First Coming and Second Coming, I think its more like 100%.

God has called all believers to be prepared, serve the Kingdom and occupy this world till His Second Coming. We follow the Great Commission telling others about Jesus, and the Gospel. We teach the things Jesus has said, and we love God and others in this work.

When we get saved, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us.

Jesus said,

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.“— John 16:13

That means the Holy Spirit in us will guide us into ALL truth regarding spiritual things, God’s Word and life. He is the voice of the Lord and will repeat the the things the Lord says. He will also shew us things to come. That means prophecy.

If you are saved you have the Holy Spirit and He will open your eyes to things. He will teach you and lead you to teachers. He will bring the Word to life.

He has gifted some saints to have the gift of prophecy. Now, this does not always mean that they give prophetic utterances. But, that they see things. They see what the Spirit is showing them, and are called to tell others.

Why?

Why does this matter? Why is it needed?

Because Satan is the deceiver.

We are in a spiritual war, and in war deception is dangerous. But, one of the methods of defeating deception is proper communication.

We communicate with God through prayer. We communicate with each other through preaching the Gospel, teaching the Word, keeping sound doctrine, and knowing what the mission is and where we are going. Which is prophecy.

Remember, prophecy is not prophecy to God. God is outside of time. His days are as a thousand years. So when He created everything it was only 6 days ago. Jesus died and rose two days ago, to God. He already knows how it ends and He knows everything that will happen. (2 Peter 3:8)

Prophecy is for our benefit. It let’s us see God’s Work. It lets us see the workings of the enemy. Because Satan has done the same things over and over since the Fall.

It helps us to encourage each other, with the promise of His coming.

It helps us to be prepared and not deceived.

It builds our faith as we see God’s Word coming to life and His promises being fulfilled.

It helps us to endure and abide in these last days of deception.

When we know what’s going to happen, we know the truth when Satan and his human slaves lie to us.

We know Satan, the spirit of antichrist, fallen angels, demons and unclean spirits are using their human slaves to build the New World Order Kingdom of the Anti-Christ.

So, when we see globalism spreading. When we see certain ideologies and technologies coming into being we can know that Jesus is coming soon. We can be encouraged.

There will come a time when things get harder and harder for the Saints. Prophecy will help be a source of encouragement. There will be a time when people in the church who have been on the fence; Wavering between two opinions, Double minded, will be tempted to leave Christ and join the Apostate Church of the False Prophet.

Prophecy will be a sign for them to know God’s Word is true, and to finally accept Jesus for real. They have seen signs of the Lord and tasted the good Word. They have been enlightened and seen the Holy Spirit working. But have never really confessed Jesus as their Lord. They just thought going to church was enough.

Seeing God’s Prophetic Word fulfilled will wake some up. But, will drive others into the arms of the enemy. They never knew the Lord. They have no oil of faith in their lamps. The light of the Spirit does not shine in them.

It is the great falling away. The tares and wheat. The scriptures speak in many places about these “False Brethren”. They will betray the saints unto death.

Prophecy is an attempt by the Lord to save them, and show the saints what season it is.

The time is drawing near. Satan uses all sides. Right wing. Left Wing. Churches. Ministries, Government, Non-profits, Protestors, everything. He uses all tragedies and victories to push his agenda. To build his kingdom.

His kingdom seeks to make him like God, with more and more control and power. He wants worshipers and followers. He twists the minds of his slaves. We are seeing some of this. With lies in the media, and leaders calling good evil, and evil good. With AI and deep fakes, the age of deception is upon us. The enemy will go to all lengths to build his kingdom.

Seeing what we see today and where we are going is why we study prophecy and learn of it. It keeps us from joining the forces of the enemy. It is impossible to avoid all occurrences of helping the enemy. We vote. We pay taxes. We sit back while evil occurs, or we get involved and create more evil.

All of it is used by the enemy to build his kingdom.

Except, the preaching of the Gospel.

The enemy will seek to stifle the free speech which allows the Gospel to be spread.

We wage war by loving others and telling them about Jesus. Even evil governments are not an enemy to the good works of helping others. Satan himself pretends to be an angel of light. Helping the masses and giving them things, in order to enslave them and keep them from turning to God.

But, we know and have been told of these things before hand. We know where we are headed and should be prepared.

The Lord is coming quickly.

---

Cover photo by pexels

Faith And Works

 Faith And Works

 God works to build the Kingdom through us.

 

 

James 2:14-26

In this passage. The apostle James, speaks of works being an aspect of our faith. It ends with the famous phrase “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

In the verses James shows that God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac and he went to obey. (James 2:21)

We also see that Abraham was made righteous when he first believed. And in another verse we see that he had faith that God could raise Isaac from the dead. (Rom. 4:3, Gal 3:6, James 2:23, Hebrews 11:17-19)

The point is to show that we are not saved by works. We are saved by God’s grace. We receive it through faith when we believe what God has told us. Our works are a reflection of our faith. That is what James is saying. Do we really believe? (Eph 2:8-10)

Faith must come first. He never disputes that, because this point of faith is when we are saved. Works come after, because we cannot do righteous works without the Holy Spirit. We receive the Holy Spirit at salvation. Therefore, in order to do good works, we must have the Holy Spirit and let Him work in us and through us. If we do works without salvation, it is just flesh, and means nothing.

Understand that lots of preachers will use these verses as a means to create guilt, shame and fear in people’s hearts. They will quote the verse and lead the saints to believe that because they sin, or don’t give enough or don’t go to church enough, then they really do not have faith and therefore are not saved. It’s a spirit of fear, guilt and shame.

But that is not the real purpose of this verse. It’s not for me to use it to condemn you. But, for me to use it to look at myself.

Am I saved? Do I have the Holy Spirit? How do I know?

I know because of the things the Spirit leads me to do. I confess that Jesus is the Lord. I confess that He came in the flesh. I let the Fruit of the Spirit flow in me and through me, so I can love God and my neighbor as myself. I use the gifts God has given me to serve and build the Kingdom. These are works. They help me to see that I am with God and He works through me.

Fleshly humans do not care about God or spiritual things. Not really. (Romans 3:10-18)

Remember that.

Since you are seeking God, or desiring to please Him or serve him. it is an indication that He is in you working. Examine yourself.

James said, “The demons also believe and tremble” (James 2:19)

This explains it. The Demons will not confess that Jesus is the Lord, because they are in rebellion. Paul says no one can confess Jesus is the Lord but by the Spirit of God. John says they cannot confess that Jesus came in the Flesh. (1 Cor. 12:3, 1 John 4:1-3)

Do you confess Jesus is the Lord? (Rom. 10:9-10)

Do you tell others about Jesus and how He saved you? (Matt 10:32)

These are the works, Confessing, Communion, Baptism, Abiding and being Spirit led, letting the Spirit work through us and grow us, helping and serving others, building the kingdom, leading people to Christ.

Ok?

Understand that, Satan is not going to preach the Gospel. Not the true Gospel. He will not tell you to turn to God, and confess Jesus is the Lord, and go tell others. He will tell you to quit sinning. He will tell you to be religious. But, if you are saved, Jesus has already taken care of your sins. Now walk in it.

Demons can create religions and get humans to avoid sin and do great things to help people and claim to know God. They can lead humans into being a good person, avoiding sin, and being religious. Demons are able to get people to come to church, sitting in pews and singing songs. Look at other religions. They teach good morals.

But, it’s all fake. Unsaved people do these things everyday. They are full of good morals. But, they will not confess that Jesus is the Lord. Good morals will not save you. (1 Cor 12:3)

So James is not talking about this stuff. He is not talking about resisting sin or going to church or other religious things.

He is talking about turning to God in faith. Confessing Jesus is the Lord, then serving God in love by following the Spirit. Grace. Faith and true works from the Lord.

It’s simple. James says these things for YOU to look at YOURSELF. Be honest between you and God. Are you really doing anything for the Kingdom? Step it up? Ask the Lord to show you or open doors for you to serve or give or tell others about Jesus.

Some preachers want to make it about your sins. They keep people beat down, trying to stop sinning, instead of lifting them up and leading them to know Christ and serve. God calls sinners to serve, not perfect people. He makes us perfect in Christ, not ourselves.

James said ,”For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all..” John said “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (James 2:10, 1 John 1:8-10)

So understand that you sin. Confess it to God and move forward. Love God and others.

We are saved. If you gave yourself to Christ. But, we still have a corrupted nature. The Holy Spirit works on that as long as we are trapped in this body. We will sin. God does not see our sin or hold it against us because we are IN Christ. But, we still commit sins. It’s a fact.

Realize that James is not talking about sin when he speaks of works. We are dead to sin. He is talking about love and service. Faith brings love and service.

Notice in Matthew 25, when Jesus returns and separates the sheep and the goats.(Matthew 25:31-46)

He does not mention obeying the law. He speaks of how we treat others.

Jesus in Matthew 25 talks about loving others, even the least of these. Even the poor and lowly. 

That’s what James is saying. That’s the sort of works James is speaking of.

If you know Jesus. Then you do what Jesus would do.

And if we fail, we confess it. If we fail on one point, we are guilty of all. You do not sin a little. Your sins are equal to murder. This is how grave it is.

That’s why we need Jesus.

Understand that we are dead to Sin. If you are saved. You are washed. You are clean. Confess your sins and move on. We are not called by God to focus on our sins and spend our life trying to overcome them. He already did it. But we were saved and made right, so we can serve without fear.

When James says faith without works is dead, he is saying that when we get saved we listen to the Holy Spirit and follow Him in our works and service to God and others.  He is not beating us down with our sins and fears, like some preachers do.

You are saved. Now go help and save others. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and work through you.

---

Cover photo by pexels

What Is Godliness

 What Is Godliness

Can we be like God? 

 

 

Godliness, in a nut shell, is being like God.

Now this explanation can bring up some problems, because who can be like God?

No one.

But, it’s about trying to be like Jesus. He is God.

It’s about trying to be like our heavenly father.

Jesus is an image of our heavenly father. (John 8:12-59)

We can see His traits and know Him, through Christ.

It’s not about being omnipresent or ruling over everything.

It’s not about hellfire and brimstone.

But, it’s about His character.

Jesus said, ” He let’s the sun rise on the evil and the good.” ( Matthew 5:45)

He is good, and does good things.  He doesn’t destroy people every time they fail. He is long suffering.

He is kind. He seeks a relationship. He seeks to teach and to grow us.

God is Love.

He cares about His creation. He cares for the sparrow.

Jesus said, “what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:7-12)

Godliness is not about obeying rules. It’s about character. It’s about doing the loving thing. The fatherly thing, and thereby obeying the rules as a by product.

God provided for Adam and Eve’s needs in the Garden. They had everything they needed. 

Even when they fell, God showed up and set them on the right path.

He told them, “on the day you eat of it you will surely die.” ( Genesis 2:17)

But, made His days, a thousand years long. (2 Peter 3:8)

Adam lived 930 years. He died on that day.(Gen. 5:3-5)

And when he died he went to Paradise above.

Clothed in those skins God gave Him. Like God gives us Jesus.

God is good.

That is Godliness.

To know Him and be like Him.

It is to comfort those in need. 

To give a drink of water. 

To cloth the naked. 

When He returns He will ask

“What did you do with the least of these?” Matthew 25:31-46)

What are you doing?

When we turn to Him and Confess Him as Lord. 

When we are saved and Know Him. 

When we walk with Him, like Adam in the coolness of the day. 

We will desire to be like Him. 

And He will work in us and through us to mold us into His likeness. (Romans 8:28-39)

In everything ask yourself, “What Would Jesus Do?”  WWJD.

That is Godliness. 

We cannot do it without His Spirit in us. We cannot do it without His salvation and sanctification.

Love people and be good to people. 

That is Godliness.

---

Cover photo: pexels

The Beasts Of The Field

 The Beasts Of The Field

Why does God let us struggle? 

 

When we get saved, we might notice that there are things that change in us immediately. But, there are other things that do not. It’s like God saves us and removes some things but leaves other things in our lives for us to struggle with. I mean if God wants us to be good, then why  not just take it all  away?

I really had a problem with this, so I prayed about it and the answer was revealed to me in Deuteronomy Chapter 7.

But, first let’s do some clarifying. If you have spiritual questions, the first place you should turn is the Lord. James says God will give you wisdom if you ask. Jesus says in John, that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. (James 1:5, John 16:13, 1 John 2:27)

Second, Paul said that The things that happened in the Old Testament was done to teach us things today. ( 1 Cor. 10:11)

So, when you read Deuteronomy chapter 7 you will see that the chapter is about God giving instructions and encouraging Israel in their battle against the wicked people who were now occupying the promised land which God was bringing Israel into. He is telling them that He will help them to overcome these people. 

BUT….  

He then says this “And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.”

When I read this it struck me.

The entire Exodus story is a picture of our salvation. God brings us out of the World (Egypt) by His mighty power, not by ours.

He parts the Red Sea (sin) and brings us through to where He sets us down to teach us.

He brings us to the abundant life he promised.(The Promised Land) If we fail to trust Him, then He lets us wander in the wilderness till our faith builds and our old selves die out.

That’s what happened with Israel, and that is what happens with us in our salvation experience and relationship with him.

See it?

So, imagine that the nations in the promised land are not people groups. Imagine them as sinful behaviors or demons in our life. Yes, They were literal people groups, but God did this to teach us a spiritual truth, as Paul explains in 1 Corinthians Chapter 10.

So, we enter into the abundant life He promised. An abundant life comes through salvation and a relationship with Him. When we are saved, God has washed us and removed us from the Kingdom of Sin, Satan and Death, and placed us in His kingdom. This is a spiritual act, which will become increasingly more real over time, and be fulfilled when we leave this life. Abundance is not what we think it is. But, our mind will change to see the abundance. Our abundance is in Him and His presence and provision. As He chooses. (John 10:10, Romans 12:1-2)

As we live and grow in Him, these demons (wild beasts) are driven out and we no longer do the things we once did. This is spiritual growth. God drives out the Sinful behaviors or Demonic entities from our lives.

See it?

He does this as we grow ready to receive it. When we get saved we are washed and cleaned. But there are still battles. As we grow we overcome through Him, and the battle grows us and prepares us for the next battle. All this is done by Him and through Him. Not our works. The Fruits of the Spirit are developed in us as we listen to His Spirit and follow Him.

If God just took it all away, then we would not be prepared to hold on to it.  More demons and sinful behaviors would come because we were not ready to stand against it. We could not occupy our life, the abundance would lead to our destruction. Like a poor person winning the Lottery and they are ruined in a year. They did not have what was needed to excel.

Like Jesus said, ” When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.” (Matt. 12:43-45)

So what do we learn from this?

Well, we learn that God is in control He is fighting the battles and we just move in and occupy. Sometimes its tough waiting, but that is teaching us patience and trust. 

Sometimes we grow frustrated and think God is not there or He doesn’t care about how we are suffering. But, that is not true. That is the enemy trying to get you to step out of God’s will or take matters into your own hands. The Lord will tell you what to do. Trust Him. He is working. (I’m not telling you to stay in really bad situations. pray and seek Him, listen to the Spirit. He knows the truth.)

So, the point is that you are saved. You know you are saved, because you care about spiritual growth and the relationship with God. So, relax. God’s got this. Do not think that the dirty little things you do are destroying your relationship with God. Just confess them, and watch Him work. Your confessing to Him, is bringing it up so it can be removed and you can grow. No matter how many times you fail. Keep confessing it.

He has left things in your life to help you grow and to keep you in relationship with Him. He is not worried about it. You should not be either. You are not ready to hold on yet.

Read Deuteronomy 7. Think of it in terms of your struggles. Be encouraged. God saved you cause He loves you. He did not go through all that pain and effort, just to let you die in the wilderness. Trust Him.

---

Cover by pexels, edited by author

Our Suffering In Christ

 Our Suffering In Christ

We are tempted to reject Him 

 

 

When we get saved, we confess Jesus as our Lord, and believe in Him alone for salvation.

We are called to Walk in the Spirit, and to abide in Him.

We get great joy in the Lord. Prayers answered. Life changing experiences, and we see Him working to protect and grow us.

But, times of trouble do come.

There are many reasons, and we can debate each one. But the end answer is always the same.

Draw closer to the Lord. Lean on Him. Trust His goodness and His promises. Believe and abide.

I can tell you that when trouble comes, the first thing the devil does is whisper into our mind that God is far from us. That He is not listening. That He doesn’t care. That He has made up His mind.

The devil says that God is all powerful, and would take the trouble away in a heart beat if He really wanted to. He says that God is punishing us. That God is going to destroy us.

This is what happened with Eve. The enemy got her to doubt God’s goodness and promises. It’s the tactic the demons always use.

We see in Job, that he lost everything; even his own health. All to get him to blame God and cast Him aside. Satan even used Job’s wife to torment him. The devil uses people and things to get you turn from God, also.

Job questioned. But he did not curse God. He continued to trust and abide.

Even Jesus when He was taken by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted, like we are. He refused to turn in to himself. He continued to rely on the father and trust the father.

When Eve turned from God, destruction came. When the Israelites turned from God, the enemy had reign to destroy them.

There is suffering in Christ, but joy comes in the morning, when we abide.

I’m not talking about sinning. Our sins are forgiven and washed. We are dead to sins. I’m talking about abiding through suffering.

The devil tempts us to turn away, back to our old life. Back to our old way of doing things. He tempts us to get angry at God and cast Him aside. Like the Israelites in the desert wanting to return to Egypt.

We do not lose our salvation. If we are saved, we are saved forever. But if we turn from God, things will not get better. We have opened ourselves up for worse. And have rejected the only real friend we have.

But God is faithful. He will keep trying to draw us to Him, regardless of our rejection. Like Peter, He comes to see if we will confess Him and turn to Him.

When we suffer, and abide in Christ. He is with us and comes with us through the other side of our trouble. Then we can see the truth. That He was with us the whole time, and our faith in Him grows.

As these last days get closer, things will get worse. The temptation will be to reject Him and join the Apostate Church of the False Prophet to come.

But stay with Him. He will see you through. It might be as if by fire, or by the skin of your teeth, but He is there. Trust Him.

Those who truly know Him will remain.

Like Job said “though He slay me, still will I trust in Him.” (Job 13:15)

---

Photo by the author

The Darkest Time Of Year

 The Darkest Time Of Year

It's hard sometimes 

 

This time of year, around Christmas is a very hard time of year for many people.

It is not a joyful festive time, no matter how much we try to dress it up with religious zeal, and bright lights.

This is the time of year we often miss those who have gone before us. Family members and friends we have loved, and long to see again.

This is the time of year when the darkness grows around us like death and we cannot find the joy of the sunshine.

That is the symbolism of winter. It is the picture of a long frozen dark death, until springtime comes and the world springs back to life.

A picture of the resurrection God has planned for us, if we know Him.

This darkness we feel as we miss loved ones or seek to find meaning in our own loneliness and despair, can be made brighter through Him.

He came in the midst of darkness to save us from death and the forces of evil. He is the light of the world.

We can have hope to see our loved ones again.

We can have hope to see the clouds in our life part, and some purpose blaze through.

That hope is in Him.

Not some religious ceremonial thing, where we jump through hoops to find Him and hope we might catch a glimpse.

But, a real relationship that He died to establish.

A real relationship that He brings us everyday, when the sun comes up and reminds us that we are born again, and will be raised again.

The holidays are so hard for many people, but know that God is there. He is reaching out to be with you, and if you ask He will reveal Himself. He is not a long way off. He is not hidden. He is ever present and ready to be with you.

He promises us in His Word that we can trust Him.

Do not let the darkness or the forces of evil get you to believe there is no hope, or point.

God is the hope and the point.

Nothing else matters except knowing Him.

He is our light forever.

---

Photo by the author